


Things that Go Bump in the Night

by shamebucket



Category: Boyfriend to Death (Visual Novels)
Genre: Anal Sex, Biting, Car Sex, Drunk Sex, Fluff and Horror, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mild Painplay, Past Abuse, Rough Sex, Self-Harm, Supernatural Elements, Tension, Unhealthy Relationships, Violent Thoughts, all content warnings from before the branch of Ren/Lawrence's routes apply, heavy allusions to past Ren/Strade, sex as a coping mechanism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:54:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamebucket/pseuds/shamebucket
Summary: Nobody interrupts Lawrence at The Jackalope, so Ren has no reason to give up when his plans seem to fall through.
Relationships: Lawrence/Ren (Boyfriend to Death)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40
Collections: Smut 4 Smut 2020





	Things that Go Bump in the Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [franchouchou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/franchouchou/gifts).



> Ren tops. 
> 
> I know that the BTD fandom unfortunately has a lot of minors so this is me, the author, saying that I do not want you to read this fanfic or interact with it in any way if you are under the age of 18.
> 
> If you're reading this through Smut4Smut and don't know all the content warnings for Boyfriend to Death, this fic includes attempted non-consensual "date rape" drugging and references to cannibalism and past serial killing, amongst other things (but the other things are vague enough that you probably wouldn't understand unless you're familiar with the lore). Tread lightly. (For people who are familiar with the game, I don't touch upon anything that's more extreme than what's in the game or on Gato's askblog.)

Ren paces around outside The Jackalope, trying to calm his nerves. He can't believe this actually worked. RiverWalker, who he learned is actually named "Lawrence" just a few days ago, decided that it'd actually be worth it to meet up in person. They just needed to wait for a night where Lawrence had off, since he works nights. What a weird and funny coincidence that they live just a few towns away from each other. At first, Ren was convinced that Lawrence lived in east Asia or something, since a lot of their chats ended with Lawrence going to bed at around 10 in the morning. Ren purposefully started going to bed and getting up earlier when Lawrence noticed his shitty pictures of his chicken bone sculptures (sometimes bleached, usually not). It was just something he did when he was bored. He still butchers chickens and uses every part of them ( _It'd be a waste to throw it away! You can make good use of it with those sharp teeth of yours, can't you?_ ), so, you know, fuck it, right? But RiverWalker seemed to think it was cool, and sent Ren his own pics that were much more detailed and intricate. It was fun to get to share a weird, niche interest with someone. 

From there, things... escalated, although Ren isn't 100% sure that Lawrence picked up on the fact that he was flirting. Sometimes intentions are hidden through text, for better or for worse. Though how _else_ can you take shifting your entire sleep schedule so you can spend more time talking to a guy who's also into freaky shit? He has to admit that he's excited about other things, too. Maybe he should be scared, but Ren didn't quite believe Lawrence when he said that the larger bones belonged to deer. Something about those femurs looked... hm. Ren ruffles his hair, ensuring that his ears stay hidden. There's only one way to find out. He opens the door. 

The hair on Ren's arms bristle when he smells Lawrence at first. It's a scent that he is used to - it has sunk into his pores, consuming every aspect of his body. He feels the ghost of a firm hand on his shoulder. _Go ahead, eat,_ it says. _Don't hide who you really are. You should be proud._ He flinches as phantom fingers dig into his sweater. _I know I'm proud._

Lawrence knows, kind of. He knows enough for Ren's liking, regardless. The details aren't really important right now. All that matters is that Lawrence knows that they share similar... _interests_ , and Ren is desperate to fill this gaping hole left in his life. Technically, he wants for nothing (Strade made sure of that), but still he needs, still he hungers. 

The smell grows stronger as Ren approaches where Lawrence is sitting, and his nose crinkles slightly. There are so many scents in this bar, but all he can smell is the man in front of him, sickly sweet and warm in ways that shouldn't be. Strade's corpse was unexpectedly warm when Ren put it in the cooler. Maybe the maggots had already started to sink their teeth inside his flesh. - But that's not important, is it? That's not the point. If Lawrence is in front of him, then the comparison doesn't make much sense. He can't be dead. (A part of him nags _He can't be Strade, either,_ but fuck that.) 

Ren pulls out the chair on the opposite side of the table and grins. "Hey, buddy! Nice to see you out and about." He sits down with so much enthusiasm that he hears the ice clink in the half-empty glass Lawrence has in front of him. 

Lawrence looks off to the side uncomfortably. "Y-Yeah..." His fingers drum rhythmically on the worn wooden grain of the tabletop, its cheap varnish sanded down by what must be hundreds of patrons. Ren wonders, darkly, how many of them might have ended up _exactly_ like how his freshly-found friend will be at the end of the night. 

"Is it okay if I call you 'Law', by the way?" Reluctantly, Lawrence nods. "Hmm." Ren leans back in the chair and crosses his legs, folding his hands behind his head. "You're not exactly what I was expecting." 

Lawrence's eyes widen. "Oh... really?" The question hangs in the air, half-formed, and then dissipates, like fog does when the sun peeks through the clouds. Lawrence blinks and stares at the table. 

Not a man of many words, huh. Ren wouldn't have guessed by how much he blabbers online, although maybe he's just caught Lawrence when he gets excited. It did take some time for him to open up a bit, even though Lawrence messaged Ren first. "Kinda. Although I guess I'm not sure what I was thinking when I had an image of you in my brain." More charismatic, maybe? Less gloomy? Lawrence towers over Ren, but Ren feels like he could overpower Lawrence easily if it came down to it. Weird. Still, it can't hurt to be cautious. Strade taught him to not trust that easily. People want to hurt and use him. That's the way things are. Nobody will ever love him like Strade loved him. "Also, uh, hope this isn't weird to say, but I thought you might have been older." Lawrence finally looks up. "You know... There are a lot of freaks online, so it's nice seeing a guy around my age. Ish." 

Maybe that could have come out better. Ren's starting to feel unsettled by the way that Lawrence looks at him, eyes unblinking. "Thanks... I think..." He raises an eyebrow. "Come to think of it, you're pretty young, aren't you? I thought maybe you were just really short, but..." Lawrence looks him over. "Yeah, you're both young and short. Did you buy a fake ID?" His eyes narrow, scrutinizing. For a second it looks like he's about to say more, but he bites his tongue at the last moment and frowns instead. 

"Nah. I'm just short. Promise I'm legal." Lawrence is right about the fake ID, but no need to bring that up if he's not lying otherwise. Ren goes up to scratch one of his ears, but then remembers that they're hidden and puts his hand down on his thigh. He smiles, trying to reassure Lawrence. "Bad genes, I guess!" He pulls his lips to the side and shrugs. "So it goes. Family kinda sucks. Haven't kept up with them in ages." 

Lawrence nods solemnly. "Mmm. I haven't talked with my folks in years, myself. Another thing we have in common." He stares down at the wood grain and traces it with his index finger. "I... don't go out much," he offers with effort. 

Ren leans forward. "Well, I feel you there, bud. This is the first time I've gone out of the house in like..." He considers, then whistles, "Almost two years? Jeez. Time flies when you're depressed." Lawrence blinks, but says nothing. He looks a little more relaxed, though. "You probably leave the house more than me, if your pictures in the woods are any indication." 

"Mmm... probably." Lawrence finishes the last dregs of his drink. "Sometimes, it's nice to wander right before dawn. Though I usually don't have much time before the sun rises, and, well..." He clutches onto his glass. "... I don't like running into people unless I'm prepared for it," he says, surprisingly frank. 

"Well, being prepared isn't a bad thing." Ren's heart rate rises. He thinks he's good at hiding his true intentions, since he was able to get away with a surprising amount of shit when Strade was... well. "It's good to, uh, know what you're getting into." 

"Yeah." The ice is melting. Lawrence eyes it and swirls it around. The _clink_ of frozen water against glass is oddly satisfying. "I, um... haven't done something like this before." He smiles shyly at Ren. "But I liked your art, and you seemed to like mine, so..." 

"Haha! Yeah. It's nice meeting a kindred spirit." Ren grins back. He'd be wagging his tail if it wasn't hidden. "Your shit is really cool. I'd love to see it in person sometime." Ren blinks and waves his hands, apologizing. "Ah, I mean, when you trust me enough. I get it." 

"That sounds nice," Lawrence says softly. He looks almost fond. His gaze is gentle, muted like chloroform. It's been a long time since Ren's been looked at like this. 

It awakens something in Ren that has been long dormant. Suddenly, everything is too loud. "Ugh, crap," Ren says, trying to act cool, "I gotta go to the bathroom. Be right back, 'kay?" Lawrence nods and Ren saunters off, ducking into the men's room. 

Once inside, he locks the door to the middle stall and crouches on the seat, shaking. His head is spinning. "Rrrr..." he growls, trying to control himself. _Keep it together, Ren. Think of the future. Think of what this will bring. You can't fuck this up._ Scowling, he rolls up the left sleeve of his hoodie and bites into his arm - anything to distract him from the swirling thoughts filling his head. His teeth pierce his flesh easily, even where it has scarred over, and a warm gush of blood fills his mouth. In this moment, he imagines Lawrence, trembling beneath him as he bites. (Then, he goes still, blood draining from his face. Ren keeps biting. There's a part deeper, deeper still that he _needs_ , that he craves, that he desires more than anything. It felt so good in his mouth before, even if it rested heavy in his stomach.) - It hurts, but it instantly relaxes him. He sighs as he laps up his own blood, tenderly laving his torn skin with his tongue. Eventually, the wound is dry enough and the blood flow has slowed to the point where he can roll down his sleeve with minimal impact. The pain has dulled, but it's still almost strong enough that it can distract Ren from the raging boner that's tucked up in the elastic of his briefs. 

Lawrence is beautiful. This plan has to work. He reaches into his pocket and finds some dissolvable powder he put in a bag earlier. Strade left him behind a pretty impressive arsenal of tools to work with, should he need them. Of course, it'd be better if Lawrence came of his own accord, but... Ren can't bet on that. There's only one thing that can be done about it. Strade used to do this all the time, so... how hard can it be? Ren gulps and shoves the bag into his right pocket. While he's at it, he checks the time. Ugh. Shit. He spent more time in the bathroom than he should have. Lawrence might think that's trying to ghost. 

Sure enough, Lawrence looks even more anxious than he was when Ren entered the pub. Their eyes meet, and Lawrence visibly jolts. "Ah! You're back." 

"Yep. Sorry 'bout that. Um..." Ren thinks a moment. "Are you hungry or anything? This pub has killer wings, or so I hear." To Ren's dismay, Lawrence shakes his head. "Thirsty? I'm going to get a drink myself." 

"Mmm... no..." 

"C'mon! I insist. To new friendship, yeah?" Ren bounds over to the bar, not bothering to wait for Lawerence's response. "Two whiskey cokes, please," he says, leaning his elbow on the bar.

The bartender raises an eyebrow. "ID?" 

"Yep." Ren slides it across the bar. 

The bartender takes a close look at it, looks at Ren, and narrows their eyes. "Alright, kid. Coming right up." 

"Getting kinda late, huh?"

"Yep." The bartender pours the cocktails with an experienced hand. "Closing time soon. Your timing's just about right; I'm getting ready to shut down the bar for drinks for the night." 

"Seems like it's my lucky day." Ren tips generously and grabs the drinks. "Thanks!" He looks around, trying to figure out if anybody is watching, and pours a little bit of the powder into a glass.

Back at the table, Lawrence is pushing back his cuticles, eyes trained downwards until he hears Ren's footsteps. He smiles weakly up at Ren when he places a drink down in front of him. "Thanks..." 

"No problem!" Ren folds his hands under his chin. "So, where do you keep your art? It doesn't look like it's anywhere in the city, that's for sure." 

"Mm... The woods about a 15 minute drive from here." Lawrence jerks his chin in the vague general direction. "Nobody else has seen it in person yet. It's... special." Lawrence tucks a strand of blond hair behind his ear. "Though... it's special that I'm seeing you tonight." He gives Ren that _smile_ again, and Ren wants nothing more than to lunge forward and sink his teeth into Lawrence's jugular. He quells the urge by squeezing on his arm. "You seem nice. I - " Lawrence bites his lip, looking conflicted for a moment. "... You seem different," is what he ends up settling on. "I like that." 

"You're kind of different, too." Ren takes a long swig of his drink, the one that wasn't drugged. He hopes it encourages Lawrence. "I mean, in a good way. Uh," Ren chews his lip. Is it worth taking the risk? "... Actually, if it's not too forward, I think you're pretty cute. I wasn't... completely expecting that. I thought everyone on the forums we visit would be all freaky and weird." 

Ren thinks Lawrence laughs at that, but the sound is so muffled and soft that he isn't completely sure. "That's a new one." 

"I mean it, though! Your eyes are really pretty, and your face is expressive, and... I don't know." Ren wants to say words, but they would be wrong coming out of his mouth. _You remind me of someone, kind of, in a weird way._ Not the right time, if there's ever a right time. "Do you not swing that way? Sorry to cause any offense if so." 

"I don't swing any particular way... really," Lawrence says carefully. "As long as they're my type." 

"So what about me? Am I your type?" Ren finishes his drink. Damn, he must be more nervous than he thought if it's already gone. Lawrence still hasn't touched his. Bad sign. 

"... That could be arranged," Lawrence mumbles. 

"Hm?" 

Lawrence shakes his head. "Nothing. Do you need... water, or anything? You didn't eat with that," he says, pointing at the empty glass, "and it would be bad to drive while intoxicated." 

Ren grins, the alcohol emboldening him. "Are you going to drive me home, then?" Lawrence's eyes widen, and he looks at a loss for words for a moment. Ren's smile fades slightly and he tilts his head, circling the edge of the rim of his glass. "I was kidding. Kind of. I live in the 'burbs, but it's not _that_ far." 

"You should know that most accidents happen within a few kilometers of the home... or whatever destination the driver is leaving." Lawrence rubs his arm. "It's... commonly seen on the websites we visit." 

"Yeah, I know." Ren perks up. "Say! Maybe you could keep me company until the buzz has worn off. That way, you get to ensure that I don't die before I can meet you again, and I get to know you a little better. What do you say?" 

Ren is shocked when he hears a gentle "All right," and Lawrence stands, pushing his chair back into the table. Honestly, Ren can't believe his luck. That _worked_?

Ren brushes himself off and gets up himself. "Sweet." 

"Better use my car in case... things get out of hand," Lawrence says mildly. He turns his back to Ren as he walks out of the bar, and all Ren wants to do is pounce and feed. He forgot how much alcohol makes him want to lose control. Thankfully, he manages to restrain himself until he slides into the back seat of Lawrence's car. The lot is a few blocks away, and is completely empty aside from Lawrence's car. To his surprise and delight, Lawrence enters the opposite side, sitting next to him. "So..." 

"I like you," Ren says, putting his hand on Lawrence's thigh. Color rises to Lawrence's pale face. "Do we need to make this more complicated?" 

"No," Lawrence breathes. With that, Ren leans up and kisses Lawrence. It tastes slightly off, oddly herbal. Lawrence sighs and Ren kisses him again, harder, and Lawrence belatedly reciprocates, sliding one hand up the back of Ren's hoodie. His hands are strangely cold and clammy. Ren is so full of blood, so hot, and Lawrence is barely seeming to warm up with the long, lingering kisses Ren gives him. It's a little infuriating. Ren starts unbuttoning Lawrence's shirt, and he moans softly, Ren's sharp fingernails tracing against Lawrence's flesh with every inch of skin freed. 

If Ren strains his eyes, he can see Lawrence's heartbeat fluttering through the pulse in his neck. His sweatpants also do little to hide the heat that he's packing. Ren swallows hard. "Look, um... I really like you," he says. "Is it okay?" 

"I've never..." 

"... With someone like me?"

Lawrence looks relieved that Ren finishes his thought for him. "Yeah." 

"It's okay. I promise it won't hurt." _I think._ He leans forward and nips Lawrence's neck, making the taller man grunt a little louder. "I can make it feel good." 

(Ren suddenly remembers those words said to him. It was early on. He had been obedient and quiet, trying to acquiece to everything that Strade asked of him. "It doesn't have to be all bad, you know, _mein kleiner Fuchs_." Strade ruffled his ears, which were no longer hidden. "Look at her. Doesn't she look tasty? Take a bite, and I'll reward you." 

The reward was a choice between getting electrocuted and getting cut. He chose a half dozen scars to his thighs. ... That said, Strade was extremely attentive in cleaning his wounds and making sure that he was ready to heal afterwards, and locked him up in his room for a week. That seemed to be Strade's weird way of showing that he cared.) 

Lawrence keeps going, despite Ren's reminiscing. He pulls off Ren's hoodie and meets Ren's lips again, clumsily trying to unzip Ren's fly. Ren moves his hand aside and does it himself, pressing his other hand gently down on Lawrence's bulge while he does so. "Ren," Lawrence breathes between kisses. It's almost reverent. Ren isn't used to this, especially since Lawrence probably noticed the raw bite mark on his arm, and definitely noticed the scars covering his body. 

He's big, Ren can tell. Maybe even bigger than Strade, _definitely_ bigger than him. "Hey," Ren sighs, kissing Lawrence again. "Let me, mm..." Lawrence groans as Ren rubs his nipples. His stubble scratches along Ren's face. He doesn't want to think about what it reminds him of. "Oh, _Law_ ," he says, forcing himself to focus on this and to not remember the past. 

"Put it in me," Lawrence groans. "Just... do it before I can think overthink it." 

Ren jolts and pulls away, yanked fully into the present with those words. "Um, damn. Yeah, okay." Ren reaches into his pocket, pushing aside the empty baggie and pulling out a sample packet of lube and a condom he always has on him in case of emergencies. (Strade taught him to be prepared for everything at any time.) "Get on your hands and knees." Lawrence trembles, and Ren thinks that he might have made a mistake, but he does what Ren asked of him, yanking down his sweatpants and exposing himself to Ren. He _is_ big. It's almost a shame that it won't be getting much use tonight. Ren tears open the lube packet and squirts some onto Lawrence's hole. Taking care not to tear the taller man with his claws, he rubs circles around Lawrence's entrance. "It's easier if you relax. You don't need to be so tense. It'll be fine." (He hears Strade's voice in his own words, and he wonders how much of it he really means.) 

"You seem... anxious, too." 

Ouch. "I-It's, um, been a while." Ren slides in his first finger and Lawrence grunts. "Sorry." He sighs and reaches around, letting his fingers run through Lawrence's slightly coarse pubic hair before curling them around his length. Needy, Lawrence jerks his hips forward. "Nuh-uh." Ren considers, and then pulls back Lawrence's shirt with his teeth, exposing a large swatch of skin, including a bit of his spine. He nibbles experimentally, and Lawrence moans. "Haha. You're so cute." He affectionately nuzzles Lawrence's back and adds in a second finger, spreading him further. 

"Mmmnnn..." Lawrence pants, his hands gripping onto the car's upholstery. "It f-feels... better than I expected." 

"It's not even the main show yet, buddy." Ren thinks about it, just for a moment. _Do it._ He bites down into Lawrence's shoulder, not hard enough to break skin, making the older man yelp in surprise. All the same, he feels blood rush to his cock. "Nice." Just listening to Lawrence pant and moan is getting Ren up faster than he thought it would. His dick throbs, aching for contact. Slowly, he pulls out his fingers, making Lawrence whimper. "Rrrr..." He bites Lawrence's shoulder again, harder. Lawrence elicits a pained grunt, but the way his cock jerks in Ren's hand says it all. What luck... maybe it's not surprising, given their interests, but Ren thought Lawrence would only be into giving pain. This is an unexpected treat. 

It makes him want to do terrible things.

He tears the condom wrapper and rolls it down on his length quickly, with just enough care to ensure that it's on properly. Not bothering to add more lube, he lines himself up against Law's hole. "Putting it in." With that, he pushes forward, feeling his cockhead pop inside of Lawrence, and then pushes deeper, not even allowing Lawrence to get accustomed to the feeling of being penetrated. 

"Nnnn..." Lawrence is generally quiet, has been for most of this, but Ren is a little surprised by his lack of reaction beyond arousal. It hurt his first time, when he took Strade's dick to the hilt, with Strade having no consideration for his feelings or his body. Why isn't it the same? If Lawrence can't be Strade, then Ren should. Someone has to be. A world without Strade... is... In frustration, Ren starts thrusting hard with long, powerful strokes, gripping onto Lawrence's hip as he rolls forward. "Ah," Lawrence gasps. His thumb brushes against the tip of Lawrence's dick, and he already feels a bead of precome. 

"Haha, wow." Ren can't believe it. "Damn..." He isn't sure if he's overjoyed or horrified. "You're really into this." 

"It's, mmm..." Lawrence presses his ass against Ren's hips. "I can... feel everything." 

"Yeah...?" That does it. Ren licks the back of Lawrence's neck and bites, harder - not hard enough to kill, but he _does_ consider it for a minute. He's never killed before of his own volition. What would it feel like if it was his choice...? 

The blood that seeps (not gushes) into his mouth tastes weird, wrong. He coughs, and Lawrence moans. "A-ahhh... so hot..." Ren slams into him more roughly, and this does nothing to dissuade Lawrence. "It's so... hot inside me." 

Ren considers. Inside, there is something he craves. Maybe it's at the heart of this matter. He imagines what it would be like to know all of Lawrence, to open him up and see his throbbing organ before he tears it out with his teeth. He groans, and for a moment he doesn't even care that his canines taste awful and feel slightly slimy. He moves his left hand from Lawrence's hip higher, deeper, trailing his fingernails along Lawrence's thin happy trail to rest it, palm up, on his beating heart. Just being able to feel it, knowing that there is only a layer of flesh and bone separating him from this treasure, makes fucking Lawrence almost unbearably pleasurable. Ren shivers with euphoria, barely containing his ears and tail (not that Lawrence could see them, but - ) and as he sucks on Lawrence's wound. 

He's so perfect. 

Ren isn't sure whether he wants to cherish him or destroy him. 

"Ren!" Lawrence shakes as Ren's nails dig into the flesh of his chest, pressing so hard that it may bruise. "A-ahh...!" He fucks into him, their bodies making obscene, wet noises where they connect, skin slapping against skin. (It could sound wetter. Ren drools at the thought. Even if Lawrence is somehow rancid, human flesh is a taste he hasn't eaten in a long time... and to feed from someone he actually likes and cares about is a truly exquisite experience.) Lawrence's breath speeds up, and Ren's hand moves along with it. They are so close. They aren't close enough. Ren wishes he could burrow deep inside Lawrence and eat him from within, tearing him apart from the inside out. If only he could rest within Lawrence like a nesting doll. 

\- If only _he_ could wear Strade's flesh. 

Ren bites his lip and groans as he comes, making sure he's far enough out of Lawrence that he doesn't cause any embarrassing problems for himself. It would be hard to explain to a guy he's just met in person why they're going to be stuck together for about fifteen minutes. He's met a couple people that are into it, but it's not worth the risk. His knot swells and he trembles. It'd be much more satisfying if he was able to tie with Lawrence. He feels his ears press back flat against his head for a few seconds, but he manages to hide them as he feels Lawrence follow him, his cock jerking violently as come stains the backseat of his car. They pant and Ren checks the fogged up windows, trying to see if anybody caught them. The night is quiet and empty. They committed the perfect crime. 

And yet... And yet. 

"Wow," Lawrence says, somewhat hazy. "Um... wasn't expecting to do this tonight, if I'm honest." 

"Have fun?" Ren pulls up his pants, making sure to tuck his still-hard cock into the waistband of his underwear.

Lawrence doesn't make a sound. "... I guess," he says at length. "Yeah. I get why people like it. I think... I..." Ren gets off of him and sits back, tying his condom and placing it in the empty baggie. "I don't think I understand 'fun'. Fun is usually loud and... unpleasant." Lawrence wipes up his come with his jacket and pulls up his pants, sitting back down next to Ren. He looks off to the side, considering, and then looks Ren straight in the eye. "It felt nice to be close to you." 

Ren's cheeks fill with blood. "Y-yeah. It usually does, I think. ... But I think it feels especially nice when you - " How to put this. "When you want to get closer."

Lawrence smiles gently and brushes his hair out of his face. A lot of it has gotten loose during sex. "Hmm. I wonder how we could get closer than this." 

Ren grabs his hoodie from off the floor of the car. "I think I could think of a thing or two." Handcuffs, a collar, a knife, teeth and heat and _everything and all of it and it's all Ren's now and_

Lawrence breathes out through his nose. "Yeah. You seem... more experienced at this sort of thing." 

"It's not like I do this with, uh, just anyone." Ren clears his throat. "I hope I didn't give the wrong impression."

"No, I get it." His clear blue eyes glance out the window, and he opens the door. "Um, I should probably leave. But... I'd like to see you again."

Ren wishes he could bolt out of the car and cling onto Lawrence and never let go. However, he has some restraint. Maybe someday it'll snap, but... not today. "Yeah! I'd like to see you too." He quirks an eyebrow. "Uh, we don't have to have sex next time if you don't want to. This doesn't have to mean anything. I get that it's new to you." Lawrence looks like he starts to panic, so Ren quickly adds, "It's up to you, I still want to chill no matter what." (Ren knows he's not actually chill, isn't sure if that word could ever truly enter his vocabulary.) 

"Oh." Lawrence blinks. "Okay. I'll... think about what I want." He fidgets. "You're good to go back to your car?"

"Mhm." Ren stretches and exits. "Worst comes to worst, I could take a little nap. I'm not at risk for puking or anything." 

"Well... all right." What do you even do in situations like this to say goodbye? A hug? A kiss? Nothing? Ren settles for a pat on the back, right where Ren's first bite is. Lawrence grunts, because it must sting, and it makes Ren want to tear out his throat. "Um... good night. I really do hope I see you soon." Before Ren can say anything more, Lawrence quickly ducks into his car and drives away. They make eye contact briefly through the windshield, and Ren waves. He thinks he sees Lawrence smile shyly. 

The drive home is long and lonely for Ren. All the way, he wonders if he made a mistake. _I shouldn't have let him go. I should have held on a little tighter. Maybe this is too fast. Hell, knowing him, maybe he would have been more into me cutting him up a bit before we fucked._ He pulls into Strade's driveway and sighs, turning off the ignition. He sits for a few moments, dejected. He had a good time, and he liked seeing Lawrence in person, but he was an idiot for thinking that anything could have come from this. 

He strides past the empty kitchen, empty living room, and goes up the stairs (not down). Rubbing his eyes, he turns on his computer and sits down. He blinks. He has a new direct message from RiverWalker. 

RiverWalker at 3:48 AM:  
>See you soon.


End file.
